Cromwell Bottom

I gave it a go for Mike's Firecrest from yesterday . Very cold and frosty this morning but bright sunshine throughout. What a perfect morning to be out in the fresh air. No sign of the target bird but enough to keep me interested with 38 species in total. In this very cold frosty weather it's a wonder birds that mainly eat insects survive the long winter nights whereas the seed eaters stand a much better chance

The lagoon was totally frozen over along with parts of the canal and the ski-lake had just about a quarter of the water still just about free of ice.

Woodland

Woodcock - one flushed from the woodland - they don't hang about, once they go, they go !

Green Woodpecker singing

25+ Lesser Redpoll were very obliging and mostly feeding in birch trees

30+ Siskin were scattered about and mostly feeding in the alders

12+ Bullfinch, a few Goldfinch, 1 Chaffinch, 2 Nuthatch and Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits

1 Goldcrest

1 Sparrowhawk flythrough

Ski Lake, Canal and River

I only managed a brief check of these. It is a shame that the lake is so difficult to view in it's entirety.

1 drake Goldeneye

1 drake Tufted Duck

2 Little Grebe

5+ Grey Heron

1 Coot

1 Moorhen

3 Mute Swan

100+ smaller gulls on the ski-lake ice

5 Cormorant flyovers